a generous strawberry

Strawberry season passes quickly in Korea. Around the beginning of March you’ll start noticing strawberries for sale everywhere. They’re usually expensive at first, but if you go shopping about 30 minutes before closing time, you’ll find some pretty good discounts!

I came home one night with a large box of strawberries, much to the delight of my wife. She washed a handful of them and put them in a bowl to enjoy after we ate. Fina has been popping out teeth so fast I hope the Tooth Fairy has insurance! She chews her rice very well, so we thought it would be safe to give her a strawberry and see if she likes it. She gnawed on it for a bit, then put it down and started reaching for EunBong’s. Once she had it, she looked at it a bit, put it down and wanted mine. Usually, I’d tell her, “No,” (it’s no wonder it’s a three-year old’s favorite word, it’s all they’ve ever heard until then!) but I was a bit curious to see how far she’d go.

As her pile grew and the pile in the bowl diminished, I became a little discouraged. I commented to EunBong, “She’s really greedy!” But no sooner had the words come out of my mouth, then Fina reached down, picked up her half chewed, saliva covered berry, reached out, and pressed it against my lips. With an, “Awwww,” I opened wide, and she squeezed her entire fist into my mouth stuffing in that strawberry. It was the most I’d ever enjoyed being fed a strawberry!

I was thinking about what you said about when they get old enough to say no…
I suddenly realized that I was the one teaching it to her.
She understands “No” and “An-dwae”
If we say either one, she gets an angry look on her face and screeches.
It’s those times that I’m glad she can’t talk yet!

Hey Jamaleh!
don’t they have a strange ability of sensing exactly what they should be going for??
I suppose that’s most things, though. There’s not a whole lot of stuff in the house that I’m pleased with Fina putting in her mouth!